I’m reading the title of this post and I’m like wow, the stories behind these reality shows are cray. Like learning about SWV’sLeLee’s daughter Margaret today, I couldn’t even bring myself to post about that drama, but you can read all about it here. SMH!Get your child, please!

Now back to the topic, Phaedra Parks a lawyer on RHOA, is married to Apollo Nida, a convicted felon who has served five years in prison for racketeering (2004 -2009), and prior to that he served a five month stint for theft by receiving stolen goods in 1998. I say all of that to say, Apollo Nida has been arrested AGAIN for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft while living in the same household as his lawyer wife. O_OWhat the…

Sandra Rose was the first media outlet to report Apollo’s arrest yesterday on bank fraud and massive identity theft, and TMZhas just confirmed the news. How Aunt Sandra Rose found out, we all would like to know, but I knew from the very specific federal court language that Sandra Rose was on to something juicy. Now the details are spilling across the internet…

So here’s what happened, Apollo was allegedly starting fake companies which allowed him to gain access to certain databases. He used the databases to steal other people’s identities who had unclaimed property and money. He set up bank accounts with the stolen identities, and used those accounts to cash US Treasury checks, auto loans, and other checks owed to these individuals that were unclaimed. That’s the summary version, the detail version is below:

Alexandre Herrera, a U.S. Secret Service Agent in the Counterfeit and U.S. Treasury Check Squad, in a written affidavit, charged that Nida created fake companies, enabling him to access databases to find individuals to rip off. He opened fake bank accounts under those real names and funneled stolen U.S. Treasury checks and auto loan proceeds into those accounts.

The agent in February 2012 began investigating alleged criminal activities of Gayla St. Julien, who he said was opening bank accounts under stolen identities to commit bank and check fraud. The investigation ran until September, 2013. At that point, they found 40 bank accounts tied to her. The complaint provided a sampling of bank accounts totaling about $3 million tied to alleged fraudulent activities.

The office also identified two fake debt-collection businesses used to “illicitly obtain personal identifying information of individuals.” The companies used LexisNexis and Equifax database inquiries to steal identities. St. Julien was arrested on Sept. 11, 2013 by the Secret Service. She implicated Nida as the man who orchestrated many of the alleged fraudulent schemes. She had worked with Nida since 2009.

St. Julien “described herself as NIDA’s ‘right hand b*tch’ in executing the legwork of his fraud schemes,” Herrera wrote. She told him she received “scraps” compared to how much he pocketed.

Nida would allegedly steal real people’s identities and have St. Julien pretend to be them to open bank accounts. She would then deposit fraudulent auto loan checks, stolen U.S. Treasury checks, stolen retirement checks issued to Delta Airlines employees, and checks in the names of real people that were owed unclaimed property from various state and federal government agencies, according to the criminal complaint.

He also opened a fake auto dealership (such as Ferrari Autohaus) and [applied] for auto loans in the names of stolen identities. After the arrest, the agents had St. Julien tape record conversations with Nida in which he explained many of his schemes. At one point, they obtained a federal search warrant of Nida’s vehicle and seized evidence, including a bank debit card in the name of Ferrari Autohaus Inc., cell phones and a laptop computer.

Nida was previously imprisoned from 2004 to 2009 for breaking federal racketeering laws related to auto title fraud. He married Parks, an attorney, in 2009 and they have since had two children.

The U.S. District Judge Gerrilyn G. Brill released Nida on a pretrial bond of $25,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 12, 2014.
Sandra Rose broke the story earlier today.

A PR agency spokeswoman who represents Parks declined to comment, saying it’s not their policy to talk about “the personal lives of our clients. Should anything change we will let you know.”

So this was something very intentional and very illegal. You trying to tell me Phaedra didn’t know, girl please!